Preparation

Active

30 m

Ready In

2 h

To prepare soup: Place chickpeas in a large bowl. Add enough cold water to cover by 3 inches and let soak for 8 to 24 hours. (Alternatively, place chickpeas in a large saucepan and cover with 3 inches cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let stand for 1 hour.) Drain.

Sprinkle lamb shank with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a medium skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium heat. Add the lamb shank and cook, turning from time to time, until browned all over, 3 to 7 minutes. Transfer to the pressure cooker. Add broth, tomatoes, bay leaves and the chickpeas.

Secure the pressure cooker lid. Bring to high pressure over high heat following manufacturer's directions. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting that maintains high pressure. Cook for 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, place bulgur in a medium bowl. Cover with boiling water and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain in a sieve, pressing out excess water.

Let the pressure release naturally. This will take 5 to 20 minutes.

To prepare pesto: Meanwhile, process mint, pistachios and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. With the motor running, gradually add oil, lemon juice and yogurt through the feed tube. Process until the mixture forms a paste. If using unsalted pistachios, add salt, if desired.

When the pressure has released, discard bay leaves. Skim fat from the surface of the soup. Using tongs, transfer the lamb shank to a clean cutting board. When cool enough to handle, coarsely shred the lamb meat and return it to the soup. Add the drained bulgur. Heat through. Stir in lemon juice. Dollop some pesto onto each serving.

Conventional-Stove Variation: In Step 2, replace the pressure cooker with a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven. After sauteing onion, carrots, garlic, cumin, coriander and cayenne, transfer to a plate. Brown the lamb shank (Step 3) in the same pot. Add onion and carrot mixture back to the pot along with the chickpeas. In Step 4, simmer gently, covered, over low heat, until the lamb shank and chickpeas are very tender, 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours.

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Thin with additional chicken broth or water, if necessary, when reheating.

Equipment: 4-quart or larger pressure cooker

Note: Bulgur is made by parboiling, drying and coarsely grinding or cracking wheat berries. Don't confuse bulgur with cracked wheat, which is just that—cracked wheat. Since the parboiling step is skipped, cracked wheat must be cooked for up to an hour whereas bulgur simply needs a quick soak in hot water for most uses. Look for it in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets, near other grains.

High-Altitude Tip: For every 1,000 feet above 2,000 feet elevation, increase the cooking time by 5%.

Reviews 1

all time favorite with exquisite flavors
This is a fabulous soup and easy to make. I used ground lamb and fried and drained it, then added to the soup. I also used canned garbonzo beans rather than dried chickpeas. The pistachio-mint pesto really sets this soup apart. I substitued toasted almonds for pistachios as they were less expensive and already shelled.
Pros: delicious and unique, good for entertaining